Stopper-puller



(No Model.)

J. A. HERBERT. STOPPER FULLER.

1%. 580,524. Patented Apr. 13, 1897,

lhvrrnn STATES STOPPER-PULLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 580,524, dated April13, 1897. Application filed May 15, 1896. Serial No. 591,598. (Nomodel.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN A. HERBERT, a citizen of the UnitedStates,residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Belmont, State of Ohio,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stopper-Pullers andI do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in stopper-pulling devices, aswell as means for securing the stopper in position when desired.

The invention will first be described in connection with theaccompanying drawings and then particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cork provided withmy improved pulling device. Fig. 2 is a sectional View of the cork,showing the pulling device in elevation. Fig. 3 is a sectional View ofthe cork with wire removed.

Referring to the drawings, A is a cork, which is first provided with atransverse opening or puncture a, passing diametrically through the corka short distance above its bottom. From each end of the said puncture aa slit is made, each slit extending upward in the side of the cork, oneof said slits being shown at a, the said slits being on opposite sidesof the cork. A wire, string, or similar flexible strand, preferably awire B, is passed through the aperture a and has its ends then broughtup each side of the cork, said ends of the strand lying in the slits aand at the top turning over the edges of the cork to the center, wherethey meet and are twisted or tied together, being drawn tight, so thatthe portions lying in the slits will sink into the slits far enough tobe out of sight, the cork readily closing, so as to render the slitsnearly if not quite invisible. Furthermore, the body portion of the corksurrounded by the wire is substantially round, as shown, whereby thepuller has an even purchase on the cork when force is required toextract the same. The free ends of the strand may be formed into aloop,as shown at b, Fig. 1, or, if desired, may be left long enough tobe brought down and secured around the neck of the bottle, therebyserving to hold the cork firmly in place.

In the construction shown in Fig. 1 the loop I) is employed forwithdrawing the cork.

It will be seen that under my construction the slits a in the sides ofthe cork do not extend entirely to the bottom of the cork, and hencethere is no danger of leakage through the slits. Furthermore, theordinary pressure of the cork against the sides of the bottle tends toclose the said slits'tightly against the wires.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

111 a stopper-puller, the combination, with a stopper having an aperturethrough it a short distance above its bottom and a slit in each sideconnecting with said aperture at a point inside its extreme end andforming a solid core, of a strand of wire passing through the apertureand along the bottom of the slits and entirely embedded therein, thefree ends projecting above the top of the stopper and being twistedtogether on a line with the top of said stopper and at the outer freeends of said wire, wherebya finger-loop is formed, substantially as andfor the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN A. HERBERT.

Witnesses:

T. W. WILLIAMS, WM. H. HOWELLS.

